Denial
by Katie Dazuru
Summary: "But Keith has to stop because his smile is so wide it's starting to hurt, and that's on Kellyn because he's mouthing "my hero" and pretending to swoon, the dork." RangerSchoolshipping.
1. Chapter 1

**Oh, hey, look what fandom I'm in again after like a year and a half.**

 **These two dorks are my new favourite thing.**

* * *

"So, Keith, what's it like being a Top Ranger?"

The redhead looks up, blinking stupidly for a few seconds before recognising the person speaking to be Wendy. She raises an eyebrow at him and smiles, before sitting down next to him. Sven's across the room, talking with the operators.

Then he thinks. What's it like being a Top Ranger? Back in school he would have rattled off thousands of replies to that if he ever got asked, but now? Now, it's…

"Different, I guess," he answers with a laugh. "I mean, being a Pokemon Ranger in Fiore was pretty damn cool. But being a Top Ranger is a…whole new level."

"Busier, isn't it?" Sven walks up to them, evidently having left the operators to join his partner and the new Top Ranger.

"And different," he repeats. "Back in Fiore, there were only the short times where I could talk with Rhythmi, but now we're back here in Almia again – back where it all started."

"The trio's back together," Wendy laughs, eyes twinkling.

Keith nods at that, gaze moving from the blonde operator at the computers to the lone brunet ranger leaning against the wall nearby, obviously more interested with fiddling around with his styler than anything else. Kellyn glances up and catches his stare, and lifts a hand to give a small, sharp wave with a smile before looking down again.

He'd missed Kellyn – he knew that. The two had practically been inseparable back in Ranger School – where it had all been about pranks and deadlines and being scolded by Rhythmi and sometimes Kate – and it'd been somewhat depressing to be split up and work in different regions, but they'd all adjusted. It'd actually been quite fun working in the region where Kellyn had originally come from, and Keith himself had actually worked alongside Spenser, Lunick and Solana – all of who knew and were friends with Kellyn as well.

"It's gonna get more lively around here, trust me," Keith grins brightly. "And it's up to you to decide whether that's a good thing or not."

"I _did_ hear from your teacher that you were quite a prankster back in school," Wendy comments.

"Kellyn was too, it wasn't just _me_ ," Keith protests, brows furrowing, and Sven laughs. The cowboy Top Ranger tilts his hat forward slightly, and turns to look at Kellyn, who's now staring blankly at the wall ahead (but Keith knows that face and that stance, and his eyes narrow because he _knows_ that Kellyn's eavesdropping on their conversation).

"What kind of pranks?" Wendy's tone is suspicious, yet curious, and Keith chuckles because _where does he start?_

"Uh, well, there was the classic bucket of water on top of the door thing, which Rhythmi was always the victim of," Keith states, shuddering as he remembers how angry the blonde had gotten every single time, and how Kellyn had always _barely_ managed to stop her before she proceeded to tear Keith to shreds (and the brunet hadn't even taken credit for being the one to _set up the goddamn trap_ ). "And the time Kellyn thought of the awesome idea to replace Kincaid's hairspray cans with spray paint. He didn't manage to get that purple out of his hair for like a _week_." Then there's laughter bubbling in his throat because he remembers that image with way too much clarity than he should.

Sven's obviously good at imagining, because the cowboy bursts into laughter. Wendy looks unimpressed, but Keith can see the hint of laughter in her eyes (because it's, like, a universal law that you have to hate Kincaid). His gaze snaps over to Kellyn, who's bent over slightly, but he can see the quivering shoulders and can see that his friend is laughing so hard it's become _silent._

"But then there were the ones that went, uh, out of control or just plain _wrong_ : like the time we were trying to set up this thing with bidoof, but then Kellyn kind of _fell_ off the cliff and into the mini army of bidoof," he smiles, and he can see Kellyn's nose scrunch up and his cheeks flushing in embarrassment.

"And, what, you swooped in like Superman to save him?" Wendy raises both of her eyebrows and smiles slightly.

"Uh, no, more like Tarzan, but yeah, and-" but Keith has to stop because his smile is so wide it's starting to hurt, and that's on Kellyn because he's mouthing "my hero" and pretending to swoon, the dork. And then the brunet's pushing off from the wall and strolling over to them with a grin, flopping down next to Wendy and resting his head on his fist as his grin morphs into a smirk and _oh god what has he started._

"I think you're forgetting the time when _you_ set up a prank with the budew and ended up _setting it off yourself because you forgot about it,_ Keith," Kellyn reminds him, and the redhead shivers at the phantom sensation of vines wrapping themselves around him, but the memory is still somewhat amusing and fond because he remembers the way that Kellyn had burst out into laughter, clutching at his stomach with tears in his eyes as his cheeks turned red. At least Kellyn had had the decency to cut him loose instead of showing the others.

" _Dude_ ," he whispers harshly, and Sven and Wendy break out into laughter. He gives Kellyn an unimpressed stare, to which the brunet only sticks his tongue out in response. "Not cool, Kellyn. Not cool."

"Sounds like you two really had an interesting school experience," Sven manages to get out through his laughter.

"That's one way to put it," Kellyn replies with a smile.

That's when Rhythmi calls Sven and Wendy over because Professor Hastings needs to brief them and send them off on a mission. Keith waits for a moment, hearing the words "horde" and "Hia Valley" before Sven and Wendy are nodding and running off, their partner pokemon trailing behind. He snorts softly, before there's a soft _thump_ as Kellyn moves and sits down next to him.

He turns and narrows his eyes. "Not cool," he repeats.

" _You're_ not cool," Kellyn responds childishly, sticking out his tongue as he gently elbows Keith in the ribs. But then he's looking thoughtful and Keith is somewhat intrigued. "Do you remember that time we managed to persuade Rhythmi to try pranking someone?"

"How could I forget?" Keith snorts. He remembers the way their blonde friend's face had become unnaturally mischievous, and then she had distanced herself for a few days. The two of them had learnt about her intentions the hard way those few days later, and discovered too late that they were both the chosen victims of her prank. "You were so embarrassed," he laughs, waggling his eyebrows, and Kellyn tries to stifle a laugh.

"Well, yeah, we _did_ end up in an extremely compromising position at the end," Kellyn reminds him, and Keith fails to stop the heating of his cheeks because, yeah, he remembers that way too clearly. And then Kellyn waggles his eyebrows, and they stare at one another for a moment before they're both bursting into uproarious laughter.

Obviously their laughter is loud enough to distract the others, because when Keith looks back at them Rhythmi's smirking and the other Operators are chatting with each other, but are occasionally sending Keith and Kellyn quick glances.

"Oh no." Kellyn obviously catches on as well, but Keith can still hear the amused tone in his voice. There's a shuffle of movement, before the eleventh Top Ranger is placing a hand on his shoulder. "I guess we're the new gossip of the Ranger Union."

Keith groans, putting his head in his hands. "I already had enough of that back at school."

Kellyn laughs, and that's when Professor Hastings starts calling for the brunet. Keith jumps at the sudden, loud voice, but Kellyn only smiles as he gets to his feet. He jogs over to the professor, and Keith looks down to fiddle with his new Fine Styler. It's actually pretty unbelievable that he's gotten this far, and it's awesome that it wasn't only him – Kellyn and Rhythmi are here as well.

"Hey," Keith is brought out of his stupor and glances up. Kellyn grins down at him. "I'm about to head out to Boyleland. Try not to break anything while I'm gone."

"Excuse you, that was _one_ time," he protests.

"Uh-huh." There's the distinct _click_ of Kellyn making sure that his styler is firmly attached to his forearm. "You're lucky you're pretty."

His head snaps up, brown eyes wide and brows furrowed. " _What?_ " Keith answers, and his voice most definitely _doesn't_ raise an octave.

Kellyn stares, his grin slowly morphing into a smirk. He waggles his eyebrows again, before snorting softly and making his way to the escalator.

"Hey-!" Keith stumbles as he rushes to his feet. "Kellyn! You can't just say that and _walk off!_ "

Kellyn pauses for a moment, glancing back at him with a smile. Then he's laughing – well, more like cackling, really – before he continues to make his way down the escalator. Keith's brows furrow, and suddenly Rhythmi's at his side, and she's _giggling._

"Stop it," Keith snaps, but his face is crimson and that only seems to encourage Rhythmi's giggling fit to continue. "Rhythmi!"

"S-sorry!" she apologises, but she doesn't sound sorry _at all_. "It's just so amazing how obvious you two are and then I realise that you're not even _together_."

"Rhythmi, Kellyn's my best friend," Keith points out.

Rhythmi puts her hands on her hips and raises a brow. "And that's all you're going to be from now until the end of time?"

"Yes!"

"Right," Rhythmi laughs. "Whatever you say, Keith. Come find me when you stop being so in denial and then we'll talk."

"I'm _not_ in denial!" he protests, but his flushed cheeks tell a different story.

The operator shakes her head, blonde curls bouncing, and mutters something that sounds suspiciously like an exasperated " _boys_ ". Rhythmi smiles at him once, before turning on her heel and strolling back to the other end of the room where the others are. Keith clenches his hands into fists.

He's _so_ not in denial.

…Is he?

 _God dammit._


	2. Chapter 2

**THIS STORY LIVESSSSS! Sorry for such a late update. I've literally rewritten this chapter three times, and the first two had a completely different plot from this final product, haha.**

* * *

 _Why had he done that?!_

Oh God. Oh God, oh God, _oh God-_

Kellyn puts his face in his hands and lets out an embarrassed sound. He's an idiot. _A goddamn idiot_.

'You're lucky you're pretty'? Where had that come from?! He's mortified. Honestly, completely mortified. Yeah, they'd been a subject of gossip back in school – but they'd been young! Everyone talks about silly stuff like that when they're young! It'd been a joke! That was all – just a joke! There hadn't been any concrete evidence to support their claims, had there? Sure, he and Keith had spent basically all their time together, but Rhythmi had been there too! Of course, there had been the times where Rhythmi had been off studying and it was just the two of them – but that was it! Just friends!

The ocean roars in his ears, and Kellyn lifts his head to look back at the rapidly disappearing Pueltown harbour. The boat rocks back and forth as they speed away, and Kellyn knows he'll be at Boyleland easily within the next half-hour. He wrings his hands, leaning back to stare at the sky, and tries to calm down. _Stop panicking!_

How had he pulled that off so smoothly?! He'd been halfway down Union Road when the embarrassment and consequences of his actions had hit him, and he'd spent the rest of the trek with his head down and his cheeks an uncomfortably bright shade of red. How was he supposed to go back to the Union now? _God_.

It was almost like he hadn't been in control of his actions at all! He'd just been joking around with three fellow Top Rangers, and then somehow _that_ had slipped out? When he thinks about it, though, he realises that Keith hadn't looked as mortified as he'd previously imagined. He remembers shock…but that was about it? Of course, there had also been the red hue that had suddenly stained his best friend's cheeks…

 _Ugh!_

He hunches forward, clasping his hands together on his lap. He can feel his face heating up again. It was supposed to be a harmless joke, but then Keith had reacted the complete opposite way Kellyn had expected him to, and…and it didn't bother him as much as he thought it would have? He'd never really thought in depth about his own emotions – he'd always put his job and, before, his school grades about his own feelings. But looking back…had he and Keith always had that underlying connection, even way back in Ranger School? After all, rumours never usually started unless they had the slightest bit of evidence…right? Kellyn unclasps his hands and straightens his back. He stares out at the oceanic scene across from him.

He's…feeling substantially less mortified than he had a few mere minutes ago. Sure, he still felt the uncomfortable sense of embarrassment, but that was more because he'd done it in clear view and hearing range of other people.

He's fidgeting, he realises. He flattens his hands against his thighs and sighs.

" _-kind of fell off the cliff and into the mini army of bidoof."_

" _And, what, you swooped in like Superman to save him?"_

" _Uh, no, more like Tarzan-"_

The laughter bubbles up again at the memory. He'd caught Keith's eyes just at that moment and had done – obviously – what every respectable best friend did: he went along with it. He'd mock-swooned, leaning heavily against the wall as he'd mouthed the words "my hero", and Keith's smile had been blindingly bright, and…actually pretty cute?

Kellyn stops. The muscles in his jaws tense as the realisation hits him. _Does he…does he have a crush on his best friend?_ The entire Chroma Ruins mission that they'd been on the past day or two had been liked nothing had ever changed between them. They'd joked around with each other, challenged each other (because they were still kids even if they were now two of the twelve Top Rangers in Almia), but had worked extremely well together. Kellyn thinks back, wondering just where the line began to blur.

" _What d'you think this Sven guy's like?"_

Kellyn had laughed. _"We haven't even been Top Rangers for a day yet, and you've already got a new idol?"_

" _Well."_ Keith had shrugged, unashamed. _"I've seen him in the newspapers. That counts, right?"_

" _Keith, you were literally stationed in Fiore. You worked in the Ringtown Ranger Base. You've worked alongside literal heroes."_

" _Yeah, but,_ " Keith had shrugged again, " _this Sven guy's been in the papers a lot lately. Fiore happened years ago."_

" _Wow, Keith. Ouch. Way to lay the smackdown on my home region."_

When had interacting with Keith become as easy as breathing? He'd come to the Almia region not so long ago, a blatant fish out of water, but now it feels like home. Sure, Fiore would always be his childhood, but Almia…

He'd never been a mischievous person by other people's standards, but something about Keith's excitable and playful personality had resonated with something within himself, and they'd gotten on like a house of fire a few days after meeting each other for the first time. The sudden rush of these realisations makes Kellyn huff out a laugh, and he leans back again, staring at the sky, and he wonders how exactly he was so blind. It definitely had to be some extreme type of _denial_ for him to be so blatantly oblivious to this before. Everyone else around them had seemed to latch on immediately – hell, the Vientown Rangers had always joked around with him about his school experience and the one-day internship, and who exactly had been present for both of those events? Kellyn snorts. _Wow, I'm an idiot._

The cry of wingull above him only startles him briefly, and it takes Kellyn longer than it should have done to realise that the boat had slowed and is currently docking at the small port off Boyleland. As it comes to a stop, Kellyn climbs to his feet and leaps onto the dock. With a wave and an exclamation of thanks to Captain Boyle, Kellyn sets off.

He heads straight for the Ranger Depot. The doors slide open automatically as he approaches, and he ducks inside. With a smile, he hands his styler over momentarily to the operator and turns his back to lean back against the counter. The sound of the ocean is muffled through the glass doors and is mostly swallowed up by the sound of the air conditioning blaring out. The operator across the counter hands him back his styler and wishes him well, and he's off again.

Kellyn stops just before the stairs that lead up to the main village. He turns to look out at the horizon, and then smiles as he hears a cry. Starly flutters down next to him, looking ruffled but extremely satisfied.

"Nice flight, then, bud?" he says, and Starly chirps in agreement. His partner may still a pokemon in its first evolution, but Starly's definitely a lot more resilient than anyone could guess. Honestly, the fact that his partner can easily fly between Pueltown and Boyleland was amazing in of itself, but at least the situation at Boyleland isn't so severe that he desperately needs his partner's aid. He'll let Starly rest for a bit.

As he ascends the stairs, he pauses momentarily as a group of children sprint by him, following the joyful Mime Jr. he'd saved from the Dim Sun cargo ship not too long ago. The reappearance of the island's pokemon definitely makes it a livelier place as opposed to the quiet state he'd found it in when he'd first come here. With a huff of laughter, Kellyn makes his way towards the volcano as he remembers his mission. The call had been about a group of villagers mentioning that there'd been disputes between different pokemon in the volcano cave, which could certainly make it more dangerous should an unknowing tourist or anyone else stumbled into the cave.

Kellyn flips up the screen on his Fine Styler, contacting the Ranger Union, and is unsurprised when Rhythmi's face appears. "Just calling in. I'm here at Boyleland."

Rhythmi nods. "The villagers mentioned that the fights were going on a bit deeper in the cave system. It's probably best to investigate everywhere that you can," she advises. Then she smirks. "Or if you need me to, I could probably convince _someone_ to send another ranger as backup."

He knows exactly what she's getting at. How could he not? He flushes a deep red, and he definitely can't blame in on the heat. _"Rhythmi!_ " he hisses, scandalised.

She giggles. "Don't worry, Linda and Marcus are busy right now, and everyone else is out of patrol or in the research room. It's just _you and me_ ," she says, and Kellyn thinks that that really _shouldn't_ sound so ominous. His blush hasn't even started to die down, but he really should get going, so he starts making his way to the cave as he looks down at the screen.

" _Rhythmi…_ "

"So, wanna discuss what happened with you and Keith back then?"

The mortification is back – he can feel it. Because despite his newly-realised feelings, the entire situation had been _embarrassing_. "Not really."

His other best friend pouts. Her blonde curls bounce as she leans forward on her hands. "Aw, come _on_ , Kellyn!"

"Don't you have other work to do?"

"Nope."

Well, there goes that idea.

"You two are so unbelievable, though. Did you know that? Honestly, half the time I forget that you two aren't even a thing."

He stops at that. "What?"

Rhythmi gives him a _look_. "You're kidding, right? The way you and Keith act, I'm surprised you're not married yet."

He blushes again. " _Rhythmi_."

She regards him. "You're not telling me I'm wrong," she observes. Then a look of glee crosses her face. "Oh my God, _you're not telling me I'm wrong_."

He brings a hand up to his face to hide it partially. He's going to pass out from all this blushing at some point. _"Rhythmi_ ," he squeaks out, and he realises that all he's really saying now – just an exasperated and embarrassed exclamation of his best friend's name.

"Oh my God, that's so _cute!_ When did you realise?!"

Well, he's already in too deep. "Uh, literally in the last hour?" He looks up, realises where he is, and turns back embarrassingly, realising that he's gone too far the wrong way. Rhythmi seems to know as well, because she looks too smug not to.

"So…" she tilts her head to the side. "When are you going to tell him?"

Kellyn stumbles over his feet. "You know," he replies weakly, "I actually have an important mission to do right now, so maybe all this emotional-discussion talk can be saved for a later date?"

Rhythmi looks disappointed, but she nods. "Okay, Kellyn. Good luck." Then she smirks. "The offer for backup still stands, though!"

"Rhythmi!" he calls out, his voice echoing, and the screen goes black. He lets out a tired noise, rubbing at his eyes, and Starly chitters a concerned noise from his shoulder. "I'm fine, Star," he reassures his partner, and flips the screen down with a _click_.

So Rhythmi knows as well. Of course, she would – why wouldn't she? Kellyn laughs to himself, his blush finally starting to subside. Everything about this seemed like some cliché romance story: everyone knows but the two people involved. Wow.

A drifloon's soft croon catches his attention. He looks over at it, sighs, and readies his styler. He's got a mission to do, all of this can wait until later, right? Starly chirps, fluttering away from his shoulder, his partner clearly having regained their strength. He smiles up at them.

Kellyn raises his arm, aims his styler, and exhales slowly. So, he likes Keith. Okay. That's fine.

 _That shouldn't change anything, should it?_

Kellyn initiates the capture sequence. The drifloon is captured in record time, and Kellyn is quietly in awe of that. The Fine Styler really is amazing.

 _Not yet, it shouldn't. Keith's his best friend, he's not going to start acting differently because of something like this. It's not like they weren't close before, right?_

The newly-captured pokemon drifts to his side. Kellyn smiles up at it. He starts to make his way in the correct direction.

 _He's just going to have to say something one day, though._

He hesitates slightly at that thought.

 _But that's fine. He'll cross that bridge when he gets to it._

He comes to a stop.

 _He'll just have to keep working alongside his best friend in the field, all too aware of his own feelings._

Oh, great. He's blushing again.

 _It'll be fine. He just needs to work as a Top Ranger while being aware of his own growing feelings for his best friend. No big deal. Just be a Pokemon Ranger who has a crush on their best friend._

Kellyn groans, covering his face with his hands.

Oh, he is _so_ _screwed._


End file.
